


Born This Way

by QuinnAbrams



Category: Glee
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26310214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuinnAbrams/pseuds/QuinnAbrams
Summary: AUTHOR'S NOTE:Hi everybody! After a little hiatus, I am back with a new short multi-chapter fic! YAY! This one revolves around Tina, Artie, and Lauren, and is dedicated to my amazing writing buddy, gigundoly!I hope you enjoy it and that you please leave me some reviews letting me know your thoughts!I originally published this story here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13685874/1/Born-This-Way on 8/31/20, but I wanted to post it here too to reach a bigger audience!*I don't own any of the characters that Glee created, only the ones that I have developed for the purpose of this story. All rights for Glee and its characters are owned by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and FOX.*
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE:
> 
> Hi everybody! After a little hiatus, I am back with a new short multi-chapter fic! YAY! This one revolves around Tina, Artie, and Lauren, and is dedicated to my amazing writing buddy, gigundoly!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and that you please leave me some reviews letting me know your thoughts!
> 
> I originally published this story here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13685874/1/Born-This-Way on 8/31/20, but I wanted to post it here too to reach a bigger audience!
> 
> *I don't own any of the characters that Glee created, only the ones that I have developed for the purpose of this story. All rights for Glee and its characters are owned by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and FOX.*

**Chapter 1**

_**TINA** _

Tina never remembered volunteering to make all the costumes, but it just sort of defaulted to her after she let it slip about her sewing talents. That was why she'd ended up meeting with various groups after school to make shirts for the Glee Club's upcoming performance to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way".

She was still reeling from Mike and his snarky comment about her being a self-hating Asian (whatever that was) just because she'd experimented with her looks with a pair of sample blue contacts she'd gotten from her eye doctor.

Putting her thoughts about Mike aside, however, she greeted the first group to assemble with her in the choir room that afternoon. Naturally, some members of the club were "busy" and would undoubtedly expect Tina to hunt them down for their sizes and specs.

Ugh.

The faithful three that showed up were Mike, Artie, and Lauren. They each brought with them a white shirt. And now, the brainstorming could begin.

At first, they all stared at each other. They knew that the task was coming up with their biggest insecurity to plaster across their chest in a performance for the school. The question was- how to sum it up best? And also, how honest did they want to get?

"I'll start by showing you mine," Tina suggested, to break the ice. Heaving an enormous sigh, she unfolded her shirt and held it up to reveal its message: Brown Eyes.

"Brown... eyes," Artie read, staring up at her. "That's it? That's your biggest insecurity about yourself? That you have brown eyes?"

"Well, the meaning behind it is pretty clear, I think," Tina interjected, frowning in her boyfriend's direction. Mike held his hands up in mock surrender. She had just been trying to mirror the pretty girls she saw in the magazines. They all had blue eyes.

In fact, they were similar in color to the ocean blue ones that were staring up at her now from behind a pair of black framed glasses. Artie had raised an eyebrow when he saw her shirt. They were still friends, of course, but ever since the two of them had broken up, it did feel like he looked for ways to antagonize her.

"I don't think I get it," Artie said. "Shouldn't it be about being Asian and people assuming that you're smart? Or how you told me you try not to smile too big in pictures because your eyes disappear? Shouldn't you go with, I don't know... Slant Eyes?"

Mike and Tina gave a collective gasp as Artie genuinely looked clueless.

"I'm not putting that on a shirt," Tina said, as Mike interjected, "Neither am I."

"Geez, so touchy," Artie said. He looked at Lauren for help, but all she did was smirk at him, as though the whole thing was entertaining to her.

"Why don't we talk about your shirt?" Tina suggested, looking to divert the topic of conversation away from herself.

"Fine," Artie replied, coolly. "I'll go with Four Eyes. I hate my glasses, and as soon as I can, I'm getting LASIK."

Now it was Tina's turn to look confused. "So, not the more obvious fact that you're in a wheelchair and you get sick of all the assumptions people make about that? Not, I don't know... Wheels?"

"Nope." Now he was just being stubborn. "If you get to have Brown Eyes, then I get to have Four Eyes."

"This assignment is stupid."

Three heads turned towards Lauren, who finally spoke. She uncrossed her arms and stood up.

"Which one of you wants to wrongly assume what I'm going to put on my shirt?" She punctuated this thought by cracking her knuckles.

"Bad... Attitude?" Mike suggested, cautiously.

Lauren threw her head back and roared with laughter at this.

"I like that," she said. "As long as the rest of you are steering clear of the obvious, I will too."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Tina said, with an eye roll.

"I was going to put 'Big Boned,'" Lauren added. "But from the back of the auditorium, it might look like 'Big Boner'. Can't have that. And I hate when people call me 'husky'. Sounds like the dog breed."

"So, you're not even brave enough to put Fat Girl."

Naturally, it was Artie who blurted this out and immediately looked like he regretted it, as Lauren shot him a murderous glance.

"Okay, okay," Mike said, stepping in between Lauren and Artie. "So it looks like none of you are willing to put your real insecurities on a shirt. Well, we can make my shirt first because I know mine. It's 'Can't Sing'. Finn is going with 'Can't Dance,' so I'll match his."

Tina sighed as Mike handed her his t-shirt and she arranged the letters on the letterpress before clamping the hot machine down to permanently transfer the phrase onto the shirt.

At least one of them was being honest about the part of them they were most insecure about.

"This is stupid. I'm going home," Artie said with a shake of his head as he unlocked his brakes and swiftly pivoted his chair, heading for the door.

As Artie rolled out, Tina followed closely behind, leaving Lauren to tend to the letterpress.

"Wait up!" Tina called after Artie who had rolled just outside the choir room.

"I can't wear a shirt that says 'Wheels' and sing a song called 'Born This Way,'" he said, calmly. "Because I wasn't."

"You weren't?"

That was Mike, coming out of the choir room on Tina's heels. Tina, of course, knew that Artie's paralysis was a result of the car accident he was in as a child, but she also knew enough to know that Artie didn't want to have this discussion with Mike.

"Hey, Mike?" she began. "I need a minute to talk to Artie. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," he said. "Asian kiss?"

"Asian kiss," Tina agreed, as she drew close to him and rose up on tippy-toe for a peck. As their lips parted, Mike gave Artie a tight smile and waved, leaving them alone as requested.

"Why does the kiss have to be Asian?" Artie couldn't resist teasing her for that as Mike disappeared down the hallway. Besides, teasing her hid the fact that it still hurt, even if he had Brittany now, because he'd never really stopped feeling like Tina was meant to be more than his best friend.

"You know that the others are gonna have something to say about your shirt if it doesn't have to do with the chair," she stated simply, to which the short boy nodded.

"They can say whatever they want, I don't care. I'm just not going to do it. It's not the truth, and I'm more self-conscious about my glasses anyways."

With that, Artie gave her a half-hearted shrug and continued down the hallway.

Tina sensed that the last part of his statement was a lie, but she knew how private Artie was about his past. Surely, displaying his disability on a t-shirt in giant block letters would attract the exact attention he wanted to avoid. She couldn't blame him for wanting to head in the less-obvious direction.

And so she decided that she would, too.

* * *

_**ARTIE** _

" _I'll bet Artie's thought about getting his legs removed since he's not really using them anyway."_

Artie had replayed Santana's mean comment over and over in his head for the rest of the day. He just couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment and hurt that her unprovoked snide remark had caused him, even if he'd never show it.

Artie couldn't help but think back to a time when he'd once had a similar thought about his legs. It had been when he'd first started going to the big gym for physical therapy. He'd finally been allowed to go home from the hospital, but he had so many therapy appointments, that it felt like he still lived there. One of the first things they taught him to do was transfer from a regular chair to his wheelchair. He remembered looking across the room and spotting an older man, a double amputee, also practicing transfers. He'd been the only other patient in the gym that day. There were usually others- never anyone near as young as Artie- and the unspoken rule was that you didn't pay attention to anyone else. Just your therapist. Only Artie wasn't even quite nine years old yet and didn't really acknowledge that the rule applied to him.

"It's easier for him," he'd pointed out, loudly enough to embarrass his mother and probably the guy across the room. "He doesn't even have to fix his feet every time he gets in and out. It hurts every time I lean over!"

Artie remembered the apologetic look his mother had flashed at the other patient, but she had been too exhausted to reprimand her son for his insensitive comment. Artie shuddered with secondhand embarrassment at his former self.

Over the years, the transfers had become easier, and completing daily tasks from a wheelchair became second nature. Now, he was so used to shifting and manipulating his lifeless legs with his hands that he even did it in his sleep. The back pain had gotten manageable too- nowadays he was usually only sore after a particularly tough physical therapy session.

If only he could have gone back in time to assure his younger self that everything was going to be alright.

Now, Artie was home and in the safety of his own bedroom, alone with his thoughts. He lay down on his bed with his arms behind his head as he replayed the conversation he, Tina, Lauren, and Mike had had earlier this afternoon about their t-shirts. It hadn't taken any hesitation on his part before blurting out that his shirt was to say "Four Eyes", obviously avoiding what others often assumed was his biggest insecurity.

If he was going to be honest, Artie wasn't ashamed of his wheels.

He really wasn't.

Sure, it sucked when he was bullied for being in the chair. Slushied, tied to a flagpole, tossed in the dumpster… you name it, and it had been done to him before. Sometimes he wished he could be inconspicuous. To be just another face that nobody looked twice at in the sea of students that crowded the school hallways.

But he wasn't.

And that wasn't going to change any time soon.

Artie knew the secret Santana was so busy trying to hide. The one that she would do _literally anything_ to keep from getting out- even if that meant hurting him in the process. Things had been better between them in the last couple of weeks. Artie even considered them sort of friends. But regardless of their impending friendship, he was still dating the person she loved. Artie wasn't stupid- he saw the way that Santana stared longingly at Brittany from across the choir room or in the hallways when she thought nobody was looking. Artie knew that, while he cared deeply for the blonde, he didn't love her the way Santana did. Those feelings were reserved for Tina. But Tina was with Mike now. So Artie had found a girlfriend in Brittany. And that was that.

Artie knew that Santana's rude comment had come out of a place of jealousy. Sure, she had quite a snarky past, but she'd never deliberately picked on him before- not before Brittany was in the picture, anyways. Hell, last year after Mr. Schue had assigned the Glee Club to spend three hours a day in a wheelchair, she had even come up to him and said that she admired all he went through every day. Looking back at that interaction now, it confused him that she would suddenly do a complete 180 and deliberately make fun of him for something he couldn't change about himself.

It may have been a naïve outlook on life, but Artie always chose to see the good in people. What a waste it would be to go about every day holding grudges. So, he chalked up Santana's remark to jealousy that he was with the girl she loved, however hurtful the comment may have been.

He forgave Santana, but he didn't forget what she had said.

Is that really how people thought of him? Even his own friends?

If that was the case, maybe he _should_ be putting "Wheels" on his shirt. After all, it _is_ what they'll all be expecting.

Artie quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

He wasn't going to allow the other kids in Glee Club to make him feel embarrassed about the way he moved around. And if that was their intention, maybe they weren't very good friends.

He couldn't put "Wheels" on his shirt, anyway- it didn't fit the task. He wasn't born this way, he had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and would spend the rest of his life reaping the consequences. Judging by Mike's reaction in the hallway today, he assumed that most of his friends think he has been in the chair his entire life. But he wasn't about to have that conversation with everybody- at least not yet.

 _All I have to be insecure about is my eyesight, anyway, right?_ Artie mentally assured himself. _Totally._

* * *

_**LAUREN** _

Dinner that night was complicated by the fact that her mom had made spaghetti. Lauren's mom, who had the same body as her daughter, had dieted here and there in her life and had proven that there was little-to-no effect whatsoever. Now she just ate what she wanted and encouraged Lauren to do the same. So, when Lauren came to the table with only a salad and salad dressing on-the-side, Karen Zizes was naturally concerned.

"What happened this time?" Her mom was the only one who saw past the tough façade.

"Nothing happened," Lauren lied. "It's just getting harder and harder to sit in that room full of cheerleaders every afternoon and not feel out of place."

"Well, look, I used whole wheat pasta…" Karen started to say but Lauren was already shaking her head. So Karen just sighed and rose from her chair to approach her daughter. Playing with her hair, she said, "I'm sorry that I passed my genes on to you, baby."

Lauren took a bite of her lettuce.

"Don't say stuff like that, Mom," she said. "We're different. We're gorgeous." She shrugged and looked at her salad bowl. "And anyway, Puck likes the way I look, and that counts for something…"

Except the problem was, she didn't feel like he did. For whatever reason, he'd decided to look past her weight problem and declare to the world that she'd rocked his world, his Fat-Bottomed Girl. They were now going to prom together, even if she hated the satin blue dress with sleeves she'd picked out. It was the only thing in her size, in the whole store, with sleeves. And she wasn't about to do anything sleeveless. Or strapless, even though her boobs did look pretty awesome in the only one she'd tried on…

Her mom kissed her, declaring that she was right, that they were gorgeous. And she let her eat salad for dinner, even though later, her stomach was growling and she was thinking about the leftovers in the fridge. To distract herself, she decided maybe she'd try going for a run. As she changed into her running clothes, she paused to first try on the shirt Tina had made her, the one that she'd bought in a size 2XL. It now read "Bad Attitude", but Lauren knew the twerp in the wheelchair was right. If she was really being honest, she would have put "Fat Girl".

Sighing, she took this off, avoiding looking at the mirror as she did so, and stacked on three sports bras to hold the girls in place, a baggy black t-shirt that used to be her dad's, leggings, a frilly skirt thing that covered her butt, and running shoes. Lauren usually went for clothes that were sporty, a little edgy, but it wasn't really her style, it was just what they sold at Torrid. She didn't really have a style of her own. It was just whatever worked.

"I have to clear my head," she mumbled, stepping out as the sun went down, the perfect time for a jog. In the dark, where no one would see her, that was the only suitable time for it.

She first thought about Rachel Berry, about how this whole thing started after Finn's awful dancing broke her schnoz, rendering her appearance less-than-perfect. Lauren never thought that Rachel's nose was as big of an issue as she made it out to be. After all, she was still twiggy and dainty and all the things that most of the girls in Glee Club were. Even Mercedes, who was plus-sized, managed to get away with it, because she still had an hour-glass shape, carrying extra weight in all the right places, just like the plus-sized models did.

Lauren tried to think of something else, anything else, but her next thought was Quinn Fabray. The girl had even looked flawless when she was nine months pregnant and, even worse, she'd come back after that summer with no sign of a postpartum body. Lauren was willing to bet she didn't even have a stretch mark.

Before she knew it, she found herself running/walking quickly to the duplexes where Puckerman lived with his mom and sister. It was just a few streets over, but it was definitely not as nice around these parts. Luckily, looking like she did was not without its advantages, when it came to not being messed with on the south side of town.

After banging on the door, she leaned over to catch her breath. Puckerman answered and quickly looked down to find her with her hands on her knees, struggling a bit to get the next breath. Damn asthma. Lauren seldom needed an inhaler and didn't like it because it made her look weak, but if she was one to admit weakness, she would have admitted now that it would help. Puck said nothing but ran inside to fill a cup with tap water. The stupid loser didn't even get her any ice. She drank it anyway, making a face at the nastiness of unfiltered Lima water. It did help her breathing though.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Running," she coughed out.

Puck was mystified.

"Was a bear chasing you?"

Lauren gave him a haha-very-funny sort of look, shaking her head.

"Can I come in?"

Puck stepped aside to allow her entry into the cramped duplex with the overpowering smell of smoke. He was the only one there at the moment, it seemed, and Lauren was glad not to have to make awkward small talk with his mom or sister. She sat on the couch and looked down at her cup of water. By now, Puck had noticed that something was wrong. He took a seat by her and looked genuinely concerned.

"How do you go from dating Quinn Fabray to dating... me?"

There. After months of wanting to ask this, she'd finally said it, even though she knew she would regret it.

Puck shrugged. "I like who I like," he said.

"Yeah, you like me, but you're not gonna go getting me pregnant or anything."

There. She'd said it again.

Puck raised an eyebrow.

"You want to be pregnant?"

Lauren exhaled loudly. What was this guy gonna put on a shirt? Maybe "I'm With Stupid" with an arrow pointed at his dick? She made a mental note to suggest that later.

"I just wanna know where girls like Quinn Fabray even come from," Lauren blurted out. "She shows up here in eighth grade and, after a week, she runs the place. Her nose is too perfect to even be real. She never has a blonde hair out of place. And she never stopped looking perfect, even when she was carrying your demon spawn."

"Careful." Puck only got defensive when it came to Beth. He wasn't in her life, but he still thought of her as his daughter, Lauren knew that.

Lauren got to her feet. She'd only stopped by to ask a question that she'd never get a straight answer to, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to hear the truth.

"I have to go," she said. "Mom doesn't want me running after dark."

She was nearly to the door when he said, "Hey, Lauren?" And she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"I heard a rumor once- about Quinn- but I never confirmed it was true. I heard she hasn't always looked that way. You wanna... you wanna go out with me tomorrow night? We could break into Figgins' office, dig up some dirt…"

Lauren turned and approached him then. Leaning in, she kissed him lightly. "Now you're talking," she said, as she took her leave. "See you tomorrow night, it's a date."

Okay, so most girls would have appreciated a fancy dinner or a movie, but Lauren wasn't most girls and Puck wasn't most guys. Nothing sounded sexier than breaking into the school with the first guy who'd ever treated Lauren Zizes like a prize to be won.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**TINA** _

Of course, it was just a dress rehearsal, but Tina was still nervous, since she'd inexplicably been given a lot to sing in this number. The task of taking the lead only seemed to go to her, though, in minor performances that didn't really matter much _or_ when Rachel Berry was injured and couldn't perform, like today. And then, when the time came to compete for a competition solo, someone would inevitably remind her that she'd already had her turn. To which, she wanted to stomp her foot and protest, "Those don't count!".

But, of course, she didn't do that. She, being who she was, made everyone's shirts for them and tried not to resent them for always taking advantage of her generosity.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder and she turned to come, face to face, with Mike, who greeted her with their usual "Asian kiss". At one point in time, she never would have dated Mike Chang, simply for the fact that she called out anyone who assumed they'd get together, just because they were only two Asians in Glee Club, for being racist. Now, it was almost all she was. One half of the Chang-Chang power couple. Not even Tina the goth anymore. Or Tina the stutterer, thank God. Just... Mike's girlfriend.

"What?" Mike asked, raising his eyebrows at the pensive look that crossed her face as their lips parted. "Is my breath okay?"

Tina smiled.

"Minty-fresh, as always," she assured him. "No, it's just... I was just thinking maybe Artie was right. Maybe 'Brown Eyes' is sort of a cop-out. The real issue is that I just feel like a walking stereotype sometimes."

"Ah," Mike said. "Kind of like the nicknames Sue gave us last year." With his usual animated way, he did a perfect impression of the demented cheerleading coach. "Asian! Other Asian!"

Tina giggled.

"That's probably what our shirts should say," she said, shrugging. "I think I kind of failed at this assignment. I'm not really ashamed that my eyes are brown, but sometimes, it's hard not looking like my parents. 'Adopted' would have been a good one for me, too. Sometimes I really don't want people knowing, so I avoid the topic."

"I can't say that I would change mine." He grinned. "Although, I forgot to tell you this, but Artie's been giving me lessons. I think my voice might not be so bad, with proper coaching."

Tina felt a strange sense of guilt at this revelation. Artie was doing _what_ now? The twinge of heartache might have come from the memory she replayed, just then, of pulling Artie's little slip of paper out of the trash that day Bryan Ryan came and discovering his innermost, secret dream.

To be a dancer, just like Mike.

She made no comment about Artie, just patting Mike on the shoulder, saying, "Just don't go getting too good," she teased. "I already have enough competition for solos as it is."

Each Glee Club member had been instructed to hide their white t-shirt under a zip-up sweatshirt before they met in the choir room that afternoon. Tina watched as her friends mingled amongst each other, most not knowing what the others' biggest insecurity was that they had chosen to conceal under their hoodies. They were all so different from one another, Tina realized, and yet, there is nothing they wouldn't do for each other.

Her mind briefly flickered back to the white t-shirt that she had left at home on her bed. "Overlooked", it read.

Tina was tired of taking the backseat to Rachel Berry. She was fed up with singing the "oohs" and background "aahs" in every performance. Now was her time to shine, and she was going to let everyone know that Queen T was a force to be reckoned with.

In a moment of bravery, she had snuck back into the choir room yesterday afternoon on her own and used the letterpress to create a second shirt; one that displayed something that she _actually_ wanted to change about herself. At the last minute, though, she had chickened out and grabbed her "Brown Eyes" shirt instead.

When Tina took the stage with Kurt and Mercedes, she couldn't help but feel as if she had cheated the assignment. However, she was determined to own her solo parts and show everyone the real her. She would be overlooked no more, even if the shirt she was wearing didn't show it.

* * *

_**LAUREN** _

Lauren tried to hide the fact that she was breathing harder than pretty much every other person as they came off stage. She'd never admit it to anyone, because what she told anyone who asked was that this was her big favor to Puckerman and that was it... but Glee Club was the best part of her day. Even if she felt out of place, even if she felt a little unsure of her voice and her dancing, she loved the thrill of being onstage.

She spotted Quinn in her ironic extra-small sized "Lucy Caboosey" shirt and, though she tried not to make eye contact, the blonde spotted her and came straight over. Ever since she'd (unsuccessfully) tried to ruin Quinn's life by plastering posters of her past self all over the school earlier that week and subsequently apologized for all of that, the other girl had been sickeningly sweet to her. Lauren was sure it was going to last for all of a week, but it was going to be kind of nice while it lasted.

"Looking good, Luce," Lauren drawled, as she reached for the water bottle she'd stashed backstage.

Quinn gave a tight-lipped smile.

"You too," she said. "Why'd you pick 'Bad Attitude'? I thought you kind of wore that bad attitude like a badge of honor."

"And what would you have picked for me instead?" Lauren smirked, figuring she'd corner the girl into being uncomfortable. At least Quinn wasn't totally clueless, like Artie Abrams, and knew enough not to straight up just blurt out what she was thinking.

"Well, that's really up to the person themselves," said Quinn, smugly, and Lauren mentally complimented her on her smoothness and the fact that she hadn't even hesitated before giving that politically correct answer.

She sort of preferred Artie's response to hers, though. The fact that he didn't even know how to be less than brutally honest was weirdly refreshing.

"It is, isn't it?" Lauren said. "I, myself, wouldn't know what to put on a shirt any more than you did, which is why you selected a nickname you haven't even heard for several years now."

Quinn faltered slightly at that.

"You never stop hearing it," she said, in that low and dramatic raspy voice she did all the time. "Even long after Lucy is gone."

"You know," Lauren interjected, without missing a beat. "It's too bad about Lucy. I feel like she and I would've been friends."

Quinn really didn't know what to say to that. Lauren knew she had her there. With a barely detectable nod and a slightly apologetic smile, she just sort of... walked away. Lauren shrugged and went back to guzzling her water.

As everyone began leaving the auditorium, Lauren realized one reason she was sweating so much was because she still had on two shirts. She sighed and, checking to make sure that no one noticed before she had a chance to zip her hoodie back up, she removed the tee plastered with "Bad Attitude" to reveal the shirt she'd chickened out of wearing at the last minute. She looked down and scrunched up her nose, wondering what she was going to do with a shirt that said: "Fat Girl".

* * *

_**ARTIE** _

After performing, the Glee Club and Mr. Schue had returned to the choir room to wrap up the week, now proudly donning their "Born This Way" shirts.

Artie and Sam (who had "Trouty Mouth" written on the tee he was wearing) were the last to enter the classroom, having spent too much time joking around in the hallway. As if she was awaiting his arrival, Santana stood up and stalked over to Artie with her arms folded across her chest, causing him to pull back sharply on his wheels to avoid hitting her. Santana had been notably absent from the number, but she was still wearing a shirt which read: "Lebanese". Artie couldn't help but be confused by it- wasn't she Hispanic?

"What?" Artie timidly wondered out loud as Santana stood over him with her signature smirk on her face.

"You know what," she replied with a malicious laugh as Artie's face flushed. "Don't you think you missed the mark a little bit, _Wheels_?" She put extra emphasis on his nickname, punctuating her point.

He could feel everybody's eyes on him now. Artie felt as if she had backed him into a corner. It suddenly became apparent that he was going to be forced to have the exact conversation he was trying to avoid. He nervously glanced past Santana, to where Tina sat on the risers. She flashed him a sympathetic look.

Artie sighed.

 _Here goes nothing_ , he thought.

"I can't wear a shirt that says 'Wheels' on it because I wasn't born this way."

There. He said it.

Artie watched as his friends' eyebrows raised and they exchanged surprised glances with one another. After a moment or two, he elaborated.

"My mom and I were in a really bad car accident when I was eight, and the damage to my spinal cord was so severe that I probably won't ever be able to walk again. So… my body might not be perfect, but I wasn't 'born this way'," Artie explained with a shrug.

Artie's face grew hot as he recognized the look of pity that his friends were now wearing. Pity was the last thing he wanted- that was the whole reason why he was hesitant to tell them the story in the first place. He would gladly take a slushie to the face right now in order to draw his friends' attention away from his disability.

"This week was supposed to be about coming to terms with our insecurities, and another reason why I didn't wear a shirt that was about my chair is because I'm not ashamed of it," Artie continued, becoming more confident as he talked. "Without it, I'd be… I don't know… stranded? My chair gives me my freedom- my mobility. It's a part of who I am, and I'd waste too much time if I was being self-conscious about it. Life's too short."

Santana pursed her lips and crossed her arms again before turning away. For the first time he could remember, Artie had rendered the girl speechless, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Artie hadn't been sure if he was ready to talk about his past so openly, but, as it turns out, that was exactly what he needed.

He may not have been born this way, but he sure was going to own it.

_**THE END** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever since watching this episode for the first time, I knew that there was a story waiting to be written- specifically regarding Artie's shirt!
> 
> Thank you so much again to gigundoly for all of the contributions to this short story (she is the best person EVER at writing Lauren)! She always has the best ideas and suggestions too!
> 
> Please leave me any reviews, thoughts, and messages you have after reading this story! Reading your feedback really motivates me to continue writing! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked reading this as much as I loved writing it!
> 
> xoxo QuinnAbrams


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